6.1.2 UMC Utrecht
The UMC Utrecht has implemented sustainable procurement in the internal policy next to two other target points for sustainability: energy and sustainable building. In the environmental policy report developed in 2009, the hospital sets targets regarding sustainable procurement for the coming 5 years. In 2013, the hospital wants to purchase 50% of the non-medical equipment and products by using the sustainable procurement criteria made by Agentschap NL, a part of the Dutch government. For the other products, the hospital has developed its own list of general criteria for packaging and transport based on ISO 26000 guidelines. In addition they develop specific product criteria for medical products, because criteria for medical products do not exist. The hospital aims to purchase 50% of the medical products by using these criteria. Last year, and the first year wherein the hospital has used the sustainability criteria, in 20% of the purchases the sustainability criteria were used during the purchasing process.
The attention for sustainability came from the organisation itself. Within the organisation several employees were actively supporting and thinking about sustainable procurement before it became part of the hospitals policy. An environmental coordinator and somebody at the procurement department were both enthusiastic about the subject sustainable procurement. Their starting point was that sustainable procurement should be part of the normal working process at the procurement
department. In the beginning the procedure was that at the moment a tender started the procurement department contacted the environmental coordinator who made selection criteria for the product. This method was used for some years but was not the best implementation of sustainable procurement because the hospital is a large organisation and they wanted to implement sustainability in more tenders and purchases and not only in a selected group. In addition, the procurement department should be responsible for sustainable procurement itself and at that point only a few persons working at the procurement department were enthusiast about sustainable procurement. This changed due to a new cluster manager who was enthusiastic about sustainable procurement. At that point a vision document about sustainable procurement was made and approved by the board of directors of the hospital to create commitment from the top of the organisation. A new strategy to implement sustainable procurement in the procurement process was developed. It was the time wherein the criteria from the Dutch government were developed. The organisation decided to use these criteria as well and developed a short list for the products that are not covered by the criteria of Agentschap NL. All employees working at the procurement department received in-company training by NEVI on the day the hospital started with sustainable procurement two years ago. They trained them in using the selection criteria of Agentschap NL and created commitment under the employees.
6.1.2 UMC Groningen
The UMC Groningen focuses primary on the food section of the assortment. Their aim is to stimulate sustainable procurement in this part of the total procurement volume. For 2011 the hospital aims to offer 40% of the hospital restaurant assortment and 25% of the banqueting service by sustainable procurement. The interviewee stated that sustainable procurement is not a key policy point at the moment because the hospital has to safe 25 million Euros, although it is part of the key project Healthy Aging of the hospital and university. This is a hospital wide project to stimulate research, education and practical application of knowledge about healthy aging. Besides this, the hospital aims to stimulate a healthy lifestyle under students and employees of the hospital by the program ‘Balans’. The program offers sport activities, workshops on alcohol abuse and smoking. Also part of this program is the stimulation of eating healthy food. The restaurants in the hospital are offering a section of biological products and stimulate healthy food consumption by workshops, advice and other activities. The hospital aims to offer patients as well a sustainable meal in the future but this is
price compensation for patient meals. Sustainable meals are still more expensive than their regular equivalent.
Sustainable procurement is not an explicit part of the organisations policy plan and there is no official sustainable procurement policy. But the organisation has found ways to give attention to this subject by connecting it to important programs of the hospital without explicit approval of the board of directors. Our interviewee stated that the board of the hospital is currently not willing to implement sustainable procurement in the organisational policy because of 25 million Euros on savings.
6.1.3 Onze Lieve Vrouwen Gasthuis Amsterdam
The Onze Lieve Vrouwe Gasthuis (OLVG) in Amsterdam has taken several measures to incorporate sustainability values in their operational management. The hospital aims to receive the silver level of the ‘Milieuthermometer Zorgsector’ by the end of 2012 which is incorporated in the organisational policy plan (OLVG 2009). This is a scale with three levels: gold, silver, and bronze developed by MPZ and Stichting Milieukeur (SMK) to evaluate and grade the environmental burden of hospitals. The scale is accepted by the Raad van Accreditatie (RvA) who monitors the participating institutes. Parts of the silver level are criteria regarding the procurement of the hospitals. These criteria are: the purchaser has access to procurement criteria, there is attention for environmental factor during investments and tenders and there are environmental criteria incorporated in the standard procurement contracts. In addition suppliers are questioned on regular base to apply sustainable solutions and are selected on preferably a certified environmental management system (SMK 2010). Tangible results which the organisation has developed so far are a check list for the procurement department with aspects regarding sustainability of the product, the packaging, and suppliers of different product categories. In conclusion the OLVG hospital wants to give more attention to sustainability. Measures have been taken to reduce energy consumption by a new efficient heating system. By setting the aim to reach the silver level of the ‘Milieuthermometer Zorgsector’ the organisation has implemented sustainable procurement in the future internal policy. So far the organisation has no concrete plan on how to implement sustainable procurement, but it is working towards it and has set a goal for the future.
6.1.4 Erasmus MC
For the Erasmus MC hospital sustainability is an important agenda point. The hospital focuses on different aspects of sustainability and not only on sustainable procurement. Other important themes are building and the use of environmental resources like energy consumption. The hospital has started a hospital wide workgroup to combine the different aspects with regards to sustainability an important objective of this workgroups is connecting the different projects regarding building, use of resources, procurement and personnel policy.
Currently the hospital does not have an integrative policy regarding sustainability. There are several projects wherein sustainability is incorporated in the procurement process of the different departments. Because of the size of the organisation, an integrated procurement policy is essential in stimulation of sustainable procurement. The hospital is working together with TNO to evaluate on which aspects of the procurement portfolio they can receive most profit with regards to sustainability. TNO is calculating the CO2 footprint for the hospital based on this study, the procurement department evaluates which projects are most profitable in ways of reduction of environmental burden and which are suitable for implementation of sustainability.
Although the hospital is in a predevelopment stage with regards to sustainability there are some examples. The hospital uses energy and water from green resources since 2009.
Currently the hospital has no real sustainability policy although sustainability is part of the strategic policy plan for the coming years (Erasmus MC 2008). Currently the hospital is evaluating the different projects and based on these results the organisation wants to set targets for the future with regards to sustainability.
are aware of sustainable procurement; if they have a tender the procurement department clarifies the regulation regarding sustainable procurement. This does not give problems and some internal customers are willing to pay more for sustainable products. Cost price is never the only selection criteria in the procurement process at Hogeschool Leiden also service level and the cost/quality ratio is important.
6.1.6 Conclusion
In conclusion we see that there are some hospitals actively working on sustainable procurement, but this is a minority of the complete field of 145 hospital organisations (NVZ 2010). The great majority of the hospital organisations have no attention for sustainable procurement. As we can see within these organisations there is a large variety in the way sustainability is implemented, the scale of
implementation and the commitment to sustainability. What all organisations have in common is the commitment of a small group of innovative employees who form an impellent force to stimulate sustainable procurement. In comparison, for Hogeschool Leiden, a higher education institute,
belonging to another semi-public industry sustainable procurement is much easier. In this organisation there is commitment at different organisational layers and it is clear for everybody that sustainability is a standard aspect in the procurement process. The covenant the government signed with higher educational institutes has the advantage that all internal organisational layers are aware of the goal the organisation has set and thereby making sustainability a standard criterion in the procurement process.